This blog explores individuals and organizations that are evolving by practicing self-reflection, participating in training and development, and building and sustaining communities. Visit regularly for a dose of Becoming.

06/24/2013

Semiannual Inspiration: Change the World One Person at a Time

The newest edition of the semiannual inspiration message is now
available – Change the World One Person at a Time! Here’s a sneak preview of one of the lessons.

THE STORY OF MANDEEP

I also know of someone else who is
changing the world one person at a time – my pal Mandeep.

The story actually begins with someone
else who decided to change the world one person at a time – a senior manager at
work. This manager approached me about a
year ago and asked I would help Mandeep navigate coming out of the closet at
work and in his personal life. This
manager had been helping Mandeep, but he wanted Mandeep to be able to talk with
someone closer to his age. So, he
connected Mandeep and me.

When I first met Mandeep, he had just
come out at work, was nervous discussing his sexual orientation, and was
spending many nights home alone in his suburban apartment. He felt stuck. So, I encouraged him to move into Center City
Philadelphia, got him involved in some diversity activities at our company, and
recruited him to help me and others lead the launch of our LGBT employee
resource group.

Fast forward one year. Mandeep lives downtown in the heart of our
most thriving LGBT neighborhood, but his story at work is more compelling. A few weeks ago, as we were getting ready to
launch the LGBT employee resource group, Mandeep gave a presentation
introducing the group and its purpose to a room of 50 managers, most of whom he
had never met before. I simply expected
him to run the managers through three PowerPoint slides, but he did much more. He talked eloquently and from the heart about
the benefits and challenges of coming out at work. The chief diversity officer and I were
brimming with pride as we watched Mandeep captivate the audience; in fact, many
of my colleagues joined the group as straight allies after seeing a similar
presentation from Mandeep.

So, what’s the learning here? We all change the world one person at
time. The senior manager changed the
world by connecting Mandeep and me. I
changed the world by mentoring Mandeep.
And Mandeep changed the world by getting up in front of a bunch of
strangers and showing them that it’s okay to be gay at work. I bet he inspired many straight allies to
join our group, but even better, I like to think there was a closeted employee
in that audience and maybe Mandeep inspired her to consider coming out and
bringing her whole self to work.

To read the rest of the message, and view past messages, visit the
Semiannual
Inspiration Messages page. I release these messages 2-3 times per
year. If you’d like to receive them
before they are posted on my blog, please email
me your email address, and I will add you to the
distribution list.